


Shit My Dad Says

by EachPeachPearPlum



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Canonical Character Death (mentioned), F/M, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Grief/Mourning, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Swearing, Team as Family, but really it's just Pepper and Morgan being family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-05
Updated: 2020-06-05
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:55:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24559510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EachPeachPearPlum/pseuds/EachPeachPearPlum
Summary: Tony was right, it is about legacy.No one can deny all the good he did, nor can they argue with the sheer number of people who are alive because of him, but that doesn't mean he didn't leave Pepper a lot of shit to deal with.
Relationships: Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe) & Tony Stark, Pepper Potts & Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Pepper Potts/Tony Stark
Comments: 4
Kudos: 26
Collections: Banned Together Bingo 2020, Ladies of Marvel Bingo 2019, Peach’s TSB 2020 works, Tony Stark Bingo 2020





	Shit My Dad Says

**Author's Note:**

> A whole stack of love and gratitude to [rise-up-ting-ting-like-glitter](https://rise-up-ting-ting-like-glitter.tumblr.com/) for help with the title and summary - even though it was so long ago that you've probably forgotten about it, I really appreciate your help anyway.
> 
> This fills the 'naughty title' square on my Banned Together Bingo card, as well as the following:
> 
> Title: Shit My Dad Says  
> Collaborator Name: eachpeachpearplum  
> Card Number: 3027  
> Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24559510  
> Square Filled: S4 - You can’t trademark that (TSB) & E1 - Morgan Stark (LMB)  
> Ship/Main Pairing: Tony/Pepper, Pepper & Morgan  
> Rating: T  
> Major Tags: Post-Endgame, Pepper and Morgan family fluff (with a bit of grief because, you know, post-Endgame)  
> Summary: Tony was right, it is about legacy. No one can deny all the good he did, nor can they argue with the sheer number of people who are alive because of him, but that doesn't mean he didn't leave Pepper a lot of shit to deal with.  
> Word Count: 743 + comic panels

“Mommy,” Morgan says, looking up at Pepper over her cereal.

Pepper immediately puts her tablet down, and her coffee, because she and Tony agreed when they started trying for a baby that they would do things differently than their parents did; if there’s even a suggestion that Morgan might want or need their attention, there’s nothing they won’t drop for her.

It’s so much more important, now that she’s the only parent Morgan has.

“Yes, love?” she says, resting her chin on her hand to listen to her.

“What’s shit, Mommy?” she asks.

Pepper jerks, chin sliding off her hand. “I don’t- who did you hear say that, sweetie?” she asks; if one of the Avengers has been swearing in the presence of her daughter, Pepper is going to be having some very strong words with them. She understands that swear words occasionally slip out, and heaven knows Pepper has to work really hard to stick to _ship_ or _fudge_ or other minced oaths since Morgan came along, but if Aunty Nebula and Uncle Happy want to keep their babysitting duties, they’re going to need to be a lot more careful.

“Daddy said it.”

Her sentence washes away Pepper’s irritation in a way nothing else could, sending her from ready to scold their bizarre extended family to within an inch of their lives to on the verge of tears in a fraction of a second. And if Tony were here, she’d be sending Morgan back to him, making him answer her questions and explain why they so often work on a _do as I say, not as I do_ rule (not that Pepper has a leg to stand on when it comes to hypocrisy, because there’s no way on earth she’s ever letting Morgan put on a suit and fight monsters), but Tony isn’t here. Tony is never going to be here, and there’s no one to answer her daughter’s questions other than her.

“Well,” she manages, when she thinks she can reply without her voice shaking too much. “Daddy shouldn’t have said that. It’s not a word people should use.”

Morgan nods, looking wise beyond her very few years, a serious expression on her face that Pepper thinks might be an attempt to mimic her own. “He said it was your word and only you could say it.”

 _Oh, Tony_ , Pepper thinks, exasperated and so very, very fond. “Of course he did,” she says, then decides she might as well go all in; if this is the story Tony chose to tell, there’s no reason for Pepper not to make use of it as long as she can. “Well, you know what? Your daddy was right. It _is_ my word, and anyone who gets caught using it has to pay a very big fine, okay?”

“Okay,” Morgan agrees, accepting this so easily, because why on earth would her parents lie to her? Pepper always knew their daughter thought the sun shone only for Tony, and with the way Happy and Rhodey and Peter and Harley and every damn other person their daughter comes into contact with keeps praising him, that’s not going to change anytime soon.

It’s not that Pepper wants it to, but it would be nice if people could sometimes remember that Tony was human underneath the armour, human and every bit as flawed as the rest of them. She can already see how it affects Morgan, how she stands tall and tries to be brave like her dad was, working hard to live to live up to the image they all – Pepper included – paint of her father, and never mind that even Tony couldn’t live up to that absurdly idealised version of himself.

One day, Pepper will have to burst that bubble, carefully explain to their daughter that yes, Tony was brilliant and yes, he did play a very large part in saving the universe, but he also made mistakes, and those mistakes were every bit as epic as his successes.

If there’s any lesson to be learned from Tony, it’s that everyone fucks up sometimes, but the real heroes realise that, and they do everything in their power to make amends for it afterwards.

She might not phrase it quite like that when it’s time to tell Morgan that, though.

“Mommy?” Morgan says again, interrupting Pepper’s thoughts.

“Yes, love?” Pepper asks again.

“If it’s your word and you’re my mommy, does that mean I can use it too?”

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked it, please tell me so, and if you really want to you can find me on tumblr as [dreaminglypeach](https://dreaminglypeach.tumblr.com/). I'd love it if you wanted to chat with me there.


End file.
